


Proud to be a Wellie

by Missouri_Mule



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Jack Zimmermann Didn't Go to Samwell, Samwell Swallow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27272656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missouri_Mule/pseuds/Missouri_Mule
Summary: The Frozen Four championships have arrived, baby, and here I sit in the press room in Chicago looking down at the arena.  Do NOT ask me how the Swallow got invited to this shindig, guys, but we ain’t looking a gift horse in the mouth.Of course, our dear readers don’t expect play-by-plays from the Swallow when you can get gossip, and I just spotted my first celebrities.Jack Zimmerman and Alexei Mashkov of the Providence Falconers have just arrived.  For those of you not following hockey, this is newsworthy.  During his 6 years with the Falconers, Zimmerman has been a noted recluse, and sighting him in the wild is like spotting a yeti.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 11
Kudos: 128





	Proud to be a Wellie

[7:50] The Frozen Four championships have arrived, baby, and here I sit in the press room in Chicago looking down at the arena. Do NOT ask me how the Swallow got invited to this shindig, guys, but we ain’t looking a gift horse in the mouth.

[7:53] So you lucky fans will get a liveblog of a little play-by-play, plus as much color commentary and downright gossip as I can conjure up.

[7:55] The first thing I notice is how many former members of the hockey team have shown up. There must be over a dozen. I can’t even name half of them, but I think I recognize Einhardt, Oluransi, Johnson, Knight, and Birkholtz.

[7:57] Do not expect too much from me regarding play-by-plays. I went to maybe 5 games during my entire 4 years at Samwell. I will try to hit the highlights.

[8:00] Game time. The players for both teams are being introduced.

[8:04] When it comes to human interest, it is hard to miss the story of team captain Eric Bittle. Everyone on campus knows the story, but I have hopes of this blog going national. The Swallow would love the clicks, people, so please share the link.

[8:09] So, Eric Bittle. Not only is he the first openly gay Division 1 hockey team captain, but the dude is only 5’-6”. And everyone loves him, at least in that weird little cult we call the hockey team. Seriously. He was elected captain UNANIMOUSLY. Only at Samwell.

[8:10] And his backstory is amazing. He was a figure skater who finally took up hockey at the age of 15. Then, he played 3 years for a co-ed team. When he came to Samwell, he had never been checked in his life.

[8:12] The team soon learned he had a phobia about this, to the point that he would nearly pass out during practices. Birkholtz and Oluransi worked with him his freshman year and got him some game time, only to have his frog season ended by a nasty check and a concussion.

[8:16] They tried again the following year but were unhappy with their progress. Oluransi called in a professional for help, who worked with Bittle in the mornings before class. Oluransi never explained where he found a therapist willing to work anonymously and pro bono, but it seems to have worked. By his junior year, Bittle was becoming fearless and checking guys twice his size.

[8:18] Just to make the Bittle story even juicier, scuttlebutt puts Bittle with a secret boyfriend, so secret that even half the hockey team knows nothing about him. This is despite the fact that Bittle has been dating him for over a year and a half. The official line is that Bittle’s boyfriend works in the service industry and can’t come out because of his job.

[8:19] Of course, the Swallow is dying to know the story, but when it comes to outing, even we respect boundaries.

[8:20] When the story does come out, though, we hope for a scoop. I don’t know what we at the Swallow would do without the hockey team to fill our pages.

[8:21] Speaking of Bittle, he just took a hard hit from Brown University’s Cole. That is already Bittle’s second hit from Cole this game.

[8:25] Of course, our dear readers don’t expect play-by-plays from the Swallow when you can get gossip, and I just spotted my first celebrities.

[8:27] Jack Zimmerman and Alexei Mashkov of the Providence Falconers have just arrived. For those of you not following hockey, this is newsworthy. During his 6 years with the Falconers, Zimmerman has been a noted recluse, and sighting him in the wild is like spotting a yeti.

[8:29] Zimmerman and Mashkov just sat down next to the Samwell hockey alumni. In fact, Knight just gave them both a hug, and neither flinched. Wow.

[8:31] To educate you, Knight was known on campus for his mustache, his aversion to clothing, and his tendency toward physical affection. The combination of the last two did not endear him to many on campus.

[8:33] Shit. I just missed a hockey moment. From what I overhear here in the press box, it was a Samwell goal by Connor Whisk. Bittle got the assist.

[8:34] Let’s talk about Whisk for a moment. This guy is probably one of the main reasons this team has made it this far. He’s only a sophomore, and he is already a scoring machine. If anyone from this team goes pro, it will probably be him.

[8:35] Although he has created some controversy on campus, because Whisk seems to prefer the lacrosse team, Samwell Hockey’s archenemy, to his own team.

[8:37] Oops. Apparently Zimmermann spells his name with two n’s.

[8:39] OK, I happned to be watching this time. Nice save by Chow, the Samwell goalie.

[8:40] * Happened.

[8:42] First intermission. Mashkov and Zimmermann are already being hounded by autograph seekers.

[8:43] I want to check on something. I’ll be back.

[8:56] Just so you know, I witnessed an actual laugh from hockey robot Zimmermann. That was in response to the Birkholtz comment, “Holy crap! You’re Jack Zimmermann! Can you autograph my french fries?!!”

[8:57] I was not actually near them. Birkholtz just has a voice that carries.

[8:58] So, I was curious about how so many recent college graduates could afford to buy seats. I mean, these things are expensive.

[8:59] A little bit of nosyness and persistence at the box office led me to learn that the entire section was purchased by Jack Zimmermann. Apparently, they were a gift to the team.

[9:00] Guys, I’m almost kvelling up. It turns out that the tin man has a heart, after all.

[9:01] Yes, someone who is not a Friend of Dorothy can make a Wizard of Oz reference. 

[9:01] Take that, bitches!

[9:02] I guess it sort of makes sense. If Jack Zimmermann would be generous about anything, it would be about people’s right to watch hockey.

[9:04] Also, I happen to know that Zimmermann has a special place in his heart for Samwell. Years ago, a reliable source told me that Zimmermann was actually accepted to Samwell before Providence made him an offer too good to pass up.

[9:05] Damn. I was typing too long, and I missed a score by the Brown team. Chris Chow, the Samwell goalie is good—after Whisk, he is most likely to go pro—but sometimes even one gets past him.

[9:09] Of course, the Brown goalie is pretty good, too. He just blocked a promising shot from O’Meara.

[9:10] A nasty check from Samwell’s Poindexer. His target was the Brown d-man Chad Cole. Probably payback for Bittle’s two hits earlier.

[9:11] Not a surprise. After Bittle made national news this summer as the first openly gay Division 1 hockey captain, players on other teams seemed to target him. Poindexter gave a lot of those players bruises.

[9:14] Any time Poindexter spent in the penalty box, Nurse or Wicks filled in.

[9:21] Wow, that was a fluke bounce, but Whisk made the most of it. His goal put Samwell ahead by a score of 2-1.

[9:31] I should wait until the end of the period, but I really need to use the little Wellies’ room.

[9:44] I did intend only to use the restroom, but one of the former Samwell goalkeepers talked me into running an errand for him.

[9:45] It turned out to be a wild goose chase, but I think I overhead Bittle and his boyfriend. The boyfriend was so kind and supportive, and you could just hear the pride in his voice.

[9:46] I am not sure what I expected the boyfriend to be like, but it certainly was not that.

[9:47] It was very sweet, but speaking as a Swallow reporter, I would have preferred steamy. It makes for better copy.

[9:57] The third period has started. Plenty of back and forth, but nobody has come close to scoring in the past few minutes.

[10:08] Sorry, I got distracted. I went down a rabbit hole on the internet.

[10:24] Yes!!!! Whisk scores a hat trick! That puts the Wellies up 3-1 with only a couple minutes left on the clock.

[10:27] The clock is running out! Samwell won the national championships!!!

[10:28] Whisk should be the MVP, but he just hoisted Bittle on his shoulders.

[10:28] The others are joining in. O’Meara and Tangredi are right beside Whisk in raising Bittle up, with the others closing in fast.

[10:28] That is just amazing. Rumor has it that Whisk and Bittle can barely tolerate each other, and now Whisk is being incredibly gracious.

[10:30] Oh, God, you can hear the Samwell hockey alumni section from here. Talk about loud!

[10:36] I can’t believe I just got the last few minutes on video. Once my attention turned to the alumni, I noticed Jack Zimmermann and that big dopey smile on his face.

[10:37] I filmed him sprinting at full speed across the ice and nearly tackling Bittle into a huge hug.

[10:38] And then a kiss. In front of thousands of people. Apparently Bittle and his boyfriend know how to do steamy, after all. That kiss certainly fogged up my contact lenses.

[10:39] And that sweet stupid smile never left Zimmermann’s face the whole time. The dude is still beaming. He looks more proud than when he won the Stanley Cup.

[10:41] For the record, I thought I recognized his voice when I overheard him talking to Bittle earlier. He is obviously the boyfriend who works in the “service industry”. And going back to Oluransi’s comment about bringing in a “professional” for Bittle’s checking issue, I think now that he meant a professional hockey player.

[10:42] Or two?

[10:44] I am still a little stunned. Tonight Jack Zimmermann just became the first openly lgbt+ professional hockey player.

[10:45] By kissing a kid from Samwell. A hockey player from Samwell. A hockey CAPTAIN from Samwell.

[10:46] Of course it was hockey, and of course it was Samwell. It had to be Samwell.

[10:47] Guys, it makes me proud to be a Wellie.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time making fan fiction. Writing isn’t really a calling for me, but I love these characters, and this is a scene I wanted to see. Sorry if I’m repeating a story that’s already been done.
> 
> Also, I know nothing about hockey. Or modern technology.
> 
> I tried to write a gay joke about Whisk and Wicks, but it just didn’t work.
> 
> Thanks of course to Ngozi Ukazu for this wonderful universe and for letting us play in it.


End file.
